BacterioFiles 299 - Predator Pops Polymer Producers

Bdellovibrio attacking prey
Iebba et al., Front Microbiol 2014

This episode: Using predatory bacteria to extract valuable bioplastics from other bacteria!

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Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Martínez V, Herencias C, Jurkevitch E, Prieto MA. 2016. Engineering a predatory bacterium as a proficient killer agent for intracellular bio-products recovery: The case of the polyhydroxyalkanoates. Sci Rep 6:24381.

Other interesting stories:

Phages could treat infections serious in cystic fibrosis

Microbes help protect plants against virus infection (paper)

Getting closer to fecal transplant in pill form

Microbe communities in overused land recover as vegetation is restored

Deep sea phage makes a DNA polymerase that doesn't need primers (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles 298 - Bacteria Boost Bone Buildup

Human skeleton

This episode: Gut microbes can even affect formation/remodeling of bones!

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Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Yan J, Herzog JW, Tsang K, Brennan CA, Bower MA, Garrett WS, Sartor BR, Aliprantis AO, Charles JF. 2016. Gut microbiota induce IGF-1 and promote bone formation and growth. Proc Natl Acad Sci 113:E7554–E7563.

Other interesting stories:

Raindrops can spread soil bacteria around everywhere

Lots to learn from studying sauerkraut (paywall)

Only some bacteria in a colony do all the expanding and multiplying (paper)

Phage genes help Wolbachia prevent host insects from interbreeding with uninfected hosts (paper)

Probiotic bacteria could help prevent damage from heavy metals (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles 297 - Defenders Develop Disease Decrease

C. elegans roundworm
By Bob Goldstein, CC BY-SA 3.0

This episode: Beneficial microbes defend roundworms against a pathogen and pressure it to evolve to cause less disease!

Download Episode (7.7 MB, 8.4 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Ford SA, Kao D, Williams D, King KC. 2016. Microbe-mediated host defence drives the evolution of reduced pathogen virulence. Nat Commun 7:13430.

Other interesting stories:

Fungus eats dead insects and keeps bacterial competitors away (paper)

Soil microbes are better for green roof soils than chemical fertilizers

Soil microbes make tuberculosis-treating chemicals

Parkinson's and treatments can have detectable effects on microbiome

Aspergillus fungi have a lot of potential uses

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles 296 - Predator Permits Pathogen Penetration

Cyclopoid copepod

This episode: Tiny crustaceans eat paramecia, allowing viruses to infect algae inside them!

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Show notes:
Follow-up to episode 259: mass-producing worm spit healing protein

News item

Journal Paper:
DeLong JP, Al-Ameeli Z, Duncan G, Etten JLV, Dunigan DD. 2016. Predators catalyze an increase in chloroviruses by foraging on the symbiotic hosts of zoochlorellae. Proc Natl Acad Sci 113:13780–13784.

Other interesting stories:

Microbes are important for protecting bees

Ant bacteria produce potential new antibiotics

Old microbes discovered living in mine crystals

Skin bacteria could protect against pathogens

Author is writing poems in a bacterial genome so they survive the apocalypse (paywall)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles 295 - Fly Ferries Fungus Feebleness

Lycoriella fly
By Kai Heller, CC BY 3.0

This episode: Fungus-eating flies transfer viruses that help make fungi less harmful to plants!

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Show notes:
Another example of viruses doing weird things in this fungus

Journal Paper:
Liu S, Xie J, Cheng J, Li B, Chen T, Fu Y, Li G, Wang M, Jin H, Wan H, Jiang D. 2016. Fungal DNA virus infects a mycophagous insect and utilizes it as a transmission vector. Proc Natl Acad Sci 113:12803–12808.

Other interesting stories:

Iron-containing molecules can help various bacteria generate electricity

Exercise lifestyle can affect gut community (paper)

New discovery of plastic-degrading microbe enzymes

Controlling bacterial metabolism dynamically

Bacteria in bats could be good at fighting fungal pathogens (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles 294 - Bacteria Benefit Bad Burns

Lactobacillus plantarum colonies
Donald Breakwell et al. 2007. 

This episode: Probiotic bacteria prevent deadly infections in mice with serious burns!

Download Episode (6.3 MB, 6.92 minutes)

Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Argenta A, Satish L, Gallo P, Liu F, Kathju S. 2016. Local Application of Probiotic Bacteria Prophylaxes against Sepsis and Death Resulting from Burn Wound Infection. PLOS ONE 11:e0165294.

Other interesting stories:

Bacteria can help cotton plants tolerate salt (paper)

Fiber stops microbes from eating protective gut mucus

Potential new antibiotics predicted and discovered in human microbes

Bacteria communicate to work together against viruses

Root bacteria help protect plants against arsenic and infections

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles 293 - Millet Microbe Makes Meshes

Finger millet

This episode: Bacteria in finger millet roots create special killing traps for damaging fungi!

Download Episode (7.5 MB, 8.25 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Mousa WK, Shearer C, Limay-Rios V, Ettinger CL, Eisen JA, Raizada MN. 2016. Root-hair endophyte stacking in finger millet creates a physicochemical barrier to trap the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. Nat Microbiol 1:16167.

Other interesting stories:

Animal study of phage cocktail to treat cholera

Soil microbes could help clean up arsenic contamination (paper)

Bacteria with nucleus-like structure even have nuclear pore-like structures

Using bacteria to find best enzymes for degrading lignin (paper)

Making microbial fuel cells with paper

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe: iTunes, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.